The Game of Love and Unity!

With the ongoing Cricket World Cup, here is an interesting write up. "Life is a dream, realize it" is an oft quoted adage. Cricket can be as much a means towards that end as much as any other.For the sake of cricketing and linguistic clarity the various terms of cricket are italicized and highlighted. To draw a parallel between the game and life-

This is dedicated to the beloved master, the one who spins the world with the right pace, pulls away our miseries and drives away our troubles.

"Our lives commence on a sticky wicket – the womb. Then follow the deliveries. We arrive and immediately get padded up – soft shoes, thermals and of course the guard – sorry the diapers. The commentary box – the maternity ward announces the arrival of the debutant. On entry we view the world in its infinite field placements – relationships. Sooner than later we establish our footwork – we begin to walk. Infancy gives way to boyhood and we begin to run. We begin to chase so many things and our innings has begun. In childhood, we often shuttle between wickets of fancy dreams. The curators – teachers help lay the pitch for our future successes. In the power play of youth glances are exchanged without the batting of eyelids. A maiden over is bowled in which a direct hit ensues and the heavens are witness to a perfect match. Somewhere in the middle overs, crippled by the leg break of desire one gets caught in the gully of 'Buckworth Lewis' (like the Duckworth Lewis) In the pursuit of making a quick bucks at more than run-a-ball, we become party to the quick fall of wickets - our family, friends, careers.

Darkness seems to pervade all over as the light o meter of our lives seem to signal abysmal readings. Traditionally, it has always been the onus of the batsman to appeal for light, but the referee here is of utmost magnanimity. You slip, he bails you out; you run short, he cautions you. And thus when you seem to struggle against the fading light, he offers you the floodlight of His grace. With some cheeky shots, you finally score the winning runs and become the toast of your team. Looking back at your innings, the point strikes you: Life is a limited overs game, which we play through day and night, but then the realization dawns on you that this match was fixed for the referee always was on your side. So you confront the referee and bowl him a yorking googly by enquiring - "How things always swung your way?" trying to put Him on to the back foot. He promptly dispatches it for a six, replying – "Little one, I will never say bye-bye, I will ever say not out, and in the tradition of My game, will offer you benefit of the doubt. So why worry, Life is a Game, just Play it, for it is "The Game of Love and Unity."

Thoughts...

In a sudden impulse suffused through a series of thoughts, I grab the pen to scribble away. Something I wish I had time for. But caught in the endless and tumultuous pursuits of the mundane and mediocre everyday life, the mind is enraptured and captured in the clutching claws of monotony. It is then that we realize the open embrace of the subtly beautiful world’s momentary stillness, with the thoughts of the star spangled night sky, the splashing waves of the infinite sea, the lush green grasslands… is the most sublime of all realities. Short lived, yet beautiful…

An inner reflection and contemplation of these thoughts makes my pen conjure up these words which maybe acceptable to many.

Life is not suave. Life is simple. It is a smooth flow unbridled and ever widening. But in mindless avocations, we complicate living and lose the essence of life. A life of fulfillment is one of simplicity, honesty and hard work; qualities that have become alien to us so much so that we need to put in a humongous amount of added effort to become what we already are – SIMPLE AND HONEST!!!

Life is simple. Set your heart free; let it soar across the skies, experience the enchantment of the sun rise when you just stand and see, lost in its mesmerizing splendour, wondering where the heaven ends and earth begins and gather the richness that life offers. Rise above the mediocrity and malice that maligns our lives because at the end of the day, you are answerable to only one person. He stands in the mirror and if you cannot look him in the eye with the talons of shame shredding you, then you know for sure that your existence has been in vain.

Are we in pursuit of this knowledge?? The knowledge that bestows LIFE and not mere living.

T.S Elliot wrote,
“The endless cycle of idea and action, endless experiment and endless invention,
Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness.
Knowledge of speech, but not of silence…
Where is the life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in Knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? The...”

So it is time to take strides in the pursuit of Life, find true direction and meaning, the knowledge, the wisdom, then we can find fulfillment in life!!!

The Cup of Life!!!!

(The True Meaning!!! To be read along with Jogo Bonito. For the sake of linguistic and ‘football’ian clarity, the various soccer terms are italicized.)

What exactly is the Cup Of Life?
Somewhere down the line soccer has to connect to spirituality. After all God is the Goal of every sane mortal (pardon me atheists) and is the Keeper of our fortunes. (I am a devout God-believer!!)
In fact, life is a script that runs parallel to the game. Fate, the field, can be rough and foul things up for us, even before half-time. There maybe other junctures in our lives were the referee called destiny may erringly flash at us the red card of failure for a non-existential offside and we are fared to pay the penalty. We may step upon the banana peel of despair, slip and force the tie into injury-time. Just when we find life too tough an opponent to tackle and resign to our posts, we notice the super-substitute( read-GOD) bicycle from around the corner. He says, “Let’s play possession game. Tap the ball onto my side, pass your troubles onto my feet, I’ll dribble past them for you.”
This done, in no time, you realize you have scored the Golden Goal thanks to a spectacular (Holy) cross from God.
In the post match award function, [venue: Heaven] you are fired a question,
“How could you ever conceive a goal so beautiful? Did anyone have a hand in it?” You do not succumb to the trap. You smile, turn right to God, and gently whisper, “I did nothing!!! It was the Hand of God.” God smiles, turns to you and declares, “Little One!!! You have won the Cup of Life”. You are perplexed. There seems to be no trophy or Cup!! The lord sports an understanding chuckle, “Little One!! Here I am all yours.”
The realization dawns. The Lord is the Cup of Life. The Lord holds you in an embrace and you wonder to yourself.
“Have I won the Cup of Life or,
The Cup of Life has won over me!!!!”
Your tears flow freely-an unambiguous acknowledgement of eternity